Suzanne Anderson: Where Is Self-Publishing Going in 2021?

Suzanne Anderson

When I self-published my first book in 1997, it was because I had no other choice. My manuscript had been rejected many times and if I wanted to see it in print, I was forced to publish it myself. At that time there was a stigma around publishing your own book. Self-published books were considered inferior. Many booksellers would not even carry them. Fortunately things have changed.

Self-publishing is now such an accepted part of the publishing industry that some of the big trade publishing houses even have a self-publishing branch. There are writers who choose to self-publish in order to maintain control of their project and get it to their readers more quickly. They know their market and do not want to wait for a trade publisher’s timeline of one to two years. An increasing number of authors are now publishing widely across a variety of platforms, formats, and territories. Self-publishing platforms today distribute indie authors and their books to 190 countries. Let’s look at what to expect in 2021.

E-books Several best sellers such as the Shades of Grey series and The Martian by Andy Weir started out as e-books and grew into the print market. We find that more people are reading e-books because they no longer have to purchase a special reader. They can download all the popular readers onto their device, be it smartphone or tablet, and have books with them wherever they go. Young readers are especially embracing e-books, so expect them to stick around. In Japan, e-books are the way that the majority of young people read; they do not even consider print. And the joy of e-books is that they cost little or nothing to produce. It is easy to e-publish, and your books get worldwide distribution, which is why it is so popular.

Audiobooks are the biggest book industry trend right now and it is growing substantially. They have opened up a whole new group of readers. The main platform is Audible, which is run by Amazon, but Findaway Voices offers several markets for audiobooks.

Professional writers’ associations in Canada are recognizing that there are well-written and well-designed self-published books being sold in this country and worldwide. Both the Canadian Authors Association and The Writers’ Union of Canada now allow self-published authors to be full voting members. Of course they have a standard, but independent authors are meeting that level of quality. The League of Canadian Poets allows full membership if you have at least one self-published book of poetry professionally marketed and distributed, as determined by the membership committee. Being a member of an association gives self-published authors the professional respectability that many deserve, and can help them market books.

Grants are more limiting as to who can apply, and it is not really good news. Self-published authors are not eligible for Canada Council Arts grants because they must be published by a publisher who does at least four trade books a year and pays royalties. They are also not eligible for the federal Canada Book Fund grant unless they are financially viable and paying out royalties to other authors. On the upside, British Columbia self-published writers who are accepted as members of the Writers’ Union of Canada or as full members of the League of Canadian Poets may apply for a BC Arts Council Creative Writer’s grant.

While there are still some roadblocks to self-publishing your book, there are many more opportunities. Today indies are more able to compete with the big trade publishers for a share of the market.

As indie authors continue to produce well-written and well-designed books, they are constantly knocking down the brick walls that have kept their books from becoming accepted in the past.

The upcoming year looks very good for self-publishers.